Page 32 of Devious Gambit

Our codeword was Deadwood, when we needed to talk about that event. The meeting must take place somewhere isolated away from nosy parkers and potential snitchers. The location of this meeting was in Lise’s bedroom at House of Fontaine. Her mom wasn’t home, her dad in prison, so only the housekeeper was present, bustling about the enormous house.

Tris lit a joint and took a pull, handing it to Lise.

“I thought you’d given up?” I asked him. Pressure from college staff and friends forced him to give up his bad habits, which included excess drugs and alcohol consumption. He’d replaced his vice with peanut M&M’s.

“I had. This whole fucking thing has put me on edge and M&M’s ain’t cutting it,” he grumbled.

“Let’s go over the story,” Lise started, taking a pull of the joint then handing it to me, only for Tris to snatch it from her fingers.

“None for Rhys,” he told her, sternly.

“A good time to start,” Lise argued. “It might help her to chill a little, especially with Jace Luxon sniffing around her panties.”

“No dope for Rhys,” Tris hissed, angrily. “Fuck, are you deaf? And what the fuck do you mean Jace Luxon is sniffing around her panties?”

“Jace Luxon fancies Rhys, so we figured it was a good idea for Rhys get on the inside of the whole rape culture, stemming from the Vault and Snake and Chalice society.”

“Are you fucking nuts?”

“I don’t think the plan is going to work,” I told them. “I annoyed him and I haven’t heard from him for a few days.”

“Was that something to do with the bathroom incident?” Lise asked, smirking.

“What bathroom incident?” Tris growled.

“Don’t worry about it,” I sighed, exhaustedly. “We’re not here to discuss my l…” I was about to say, ‘love life’ when I quickly stopped myself and used the word, “spy life,” which was more appropriate. “Anyway, it’s Saturday, he’ll be away playing baseball.”

“Football,” Lise corrected me and cracked up laughing.

“How can you laugh?” I said, seething. “We shouldn’t laugh at a time like this. We’re murderers. I mean, I’m a murderer and you’re accomplices to my murder. This is not a laughing matter. I don’t think I can ever laugh or smile ever again.”

“It was self-defense, Rhys!” Tris reminded me. “You’re not a murderer. Just get that clear in your head.”

Lise began, “Anyway, has Marjorie spoken to you since we-”

“- Don’t say it.” I took several deep breaths. My heart was racing so fast, I thought I was going to faint. “She took the bloodied duvet cover and sheets off my bed that night and burned them in the incinerator in the backyard and bleached the blood off the floor. The door was replaced the next day with extra locks while I was at work. She said the hardware man didn’t ask any questions of how the door got damaged, so she told no lies.”

“Can we trust her?” Lise asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

I nodded. I spent the rest of that horrible night sleeping in Marjorie’s spare bedroom and slept two more nights since, just because I got freaked out over an owl hooting or a shadow passing by my door. “I’m seriously not cut out for this lying game. Sooner or later police will join the dots and they’ll lead up to my door.”

“That’s why we’ve got to stick to a story,” Lise stated.

“Which is what?” I asked her. “I’m guessing you’re not suggesting we actually tell the police the truth. That would be far too sensible.” I would tell police the truth if it didn’t get the other three participants in trouble.

“Tris and I, obviously, were here at home in bed, which was the truth until you rang,” she explained.

“Okay,” I said. “Looks like you two have a great alibi. I, however, was home alone. No witnesses. Nothing.”

“No, you were with Marjorie,” she informed me. “You should corroborate a story. Maybe say you stayed in her house or something.”

I dropped my head into my hands. “This is getting too much for me.”

“Don’t crack, Rhys,” she warned. “You can’t crack. It will screw all our lives up, if you do.”

“What if someone saw us?” I panicked, half crying. “What if someone was standing on the shore of Lake Superior and saw Tris and I dump his body into the water? It was too dark to see if anyone was standing by the trees. Or what if someone saw us dragging the body down the stairs of my garage apartment?”

“No one’s come forward, Rhys,” Tris urged, calmly.

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